Summer Blues
by Hikari Kotoba
Summary: My pen pal of two years, Kairi Koichiru, and I had finally decided that we were going to meet up. What will happen this summer? A chance at finding someone, perhaps? One thing's for sure, this summer will be eventful. Namixas, and lots of side pairings.
1. High Compartment

**Summer Blues**

Chapter One: High Compartment

It was the sunlight glaring at my closed lids that woke me up. I blinked, trying to focus, and noted the slight stiffness of my body, as if it had been in a somewhat uncomfortable position for a period of time. I yawned, blinking, trying to gather my thoughts. The sun was still glaring.

I stretched my arm and pulled down the shutter that closed the small oval window, and I realized where I was. Up in the air, in an airplane. Licking dry lips, I rolled my shoulders, feeling the tension in them starting to fade, just as a voice rang through the aircraft.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing shortly at Radiant Garden. Please fasten your seatbelts and inform the staff for any discomfort. Thank you for flying with us."

Again, I yawned, then reached down to buckle my seatbelt in place before sitting back and letting my eyes close again. My thoughts drifted to the reason why I was on a plane again, and I smiled, feeling excitement. My pen pal of two years, Kairi Koichiru, and I had finally decided that we were going to meet up. My parents had allowed it, since she'd invited me for the duration of summer vacation, and I was hyped about our meeting. I was finally meeting my friend. Over the course of two years, we'd gone close through letters, emails, and greeting cards, and it was so nice to finally be able to see the face behind the words up close and personal.

Absently, I tugged at my hair, the way I did when I was thoughtful, and strained to hear the sound of the wheels touching solid ground. Obviously, the engines were too noisy for that, so I gave up and waited for the captain's voice to be heard.

I didn't have to wait long; soon enough, the captain was giving instructions about getting bags from the overhead compartments and whatnot, and I tuned him out after the first word, already familiar with the procedure.

I proceeded to try to reach up to the compartment, only to find that I was too short. I huffed in annoyance, setting myself back down. Earlier a steward had been kind enough to help me with my bag, but unfortunately, no one was within asking range. Of all the rotten luck. I looked up at the compartment, willing my bag to fall out so I could catch it (which was totally pointless).

"You won't get your bag by just staring at it, you know," said a voice to my right, amused. I shifted my position to look up at him and exhaled a puff of air. He was half a head taller than me, with blond spikes curiously slanted in one direction. More importantly, though, he had height enough to reach that compartment.

"Well, you could help me…" I told him, smiling ruefully.

He laughed, and it was a sweet sound, quite pleasing to hear. _Wait, why am I noticing this? Get a grip, Nami,_ I chided myself, scoffing in my mind.

"I could," he agreed. He seemed to ponder that for a moment. I waited with a tilted head, and he seemed even more amused by my silence. Then he shrugged and said. "Well, it wouldn't hurt."

He set his own duffel bag down on my seat and reached up the compartment to grab my carry-all, a big white beach bag that I had painted myself. He handed it to me, then hefted his own bag onto his shoulder, grinning at me.

"Thank you," was all I could think to say, blinking once or twice at the surprising _blue_ of his eyes, as blue as the deep ocean. Wow. If I wasn't careful, I'd start crushing on a random stranger. The thought made me chuckle quietly, and he looked at me inquiringly.

"What's so funny?" he asked amiably. I mean, I barely knew him.

"It's nothing. We should probably get out now." I motioned around, and he seemed to notice that we were one of the last few on the plane. He laughed.

"Right."

LINE BREAK

"So, what's your name?" he asked, once we had gotten off the aircraft, choosing to follow me to the baggage claim, seemingly intending to get his own luggage.

I looked at him like he was crazy. Why ask a random girl her name? I bit my lip, then mentally shrugged it off. It wasn't like he was a creepy stalker or something, right? …Right? Oh, whatever. "Naminé. And yours?"

"I'm Roxas."

_Roxas_. I tested it out in my mind, and found that the sound of it was as amusing as his laugh. I wanted to kick myself. Thankfully I was saved from this with the arrival of my own cream-colored luggage bags, and I turned to Roxas, ready to leave. "My bags are over there." I gestured to my luggage. I smiled up at him. "It was nice to meet you, Roxas. Thanks again."

"Sure," he replied easily. "See you around, Naminé."

I shouldered my bag and turned away, partly because of my excitement at being finally here to meet Kairi, and partly to hide the slight blush dusting my cheeks at the sound of my name being spoken by him. Which was irrational, I reasoned, since I'd just met him. I hurried over to claim my baggage, and started to walk to the exit to see if Kairi was already there.

She was not, so I killed some time by pulling out my sketchpad and plopping down on a bench near the exit. I took a look around, glancing at people, wondering what to draw. I loved working on strangers. It was so fulfilling to capture someone's current preoccupation, especially if you didn't know them at all. You'd be able to look at them with a critical eye, and this habit also allowed me the unusual pleasure of trying to figure people out. It was an amusing quirk that made me quite happy.

Unfortunately, right now, I couldn't find anyone interesting enough to draw; not that man in a business suit at Cinnabon, typing madly away at his laptop (overworked excecutive, I guess); or that little girl tugging insistently on a woman's skirt, pointing to a rack of lollipops and candies, looking pleading (well, now, that's quite obvious, I chuckled); not even the lady in the beige overcoat, who, despite the apparent heat, didn't mind drawing her coat further closed as if it were chilly (maybe she's ill?). No, none of these people intrigued me like they usually would've done. A different face was in my mind.

Quickly I set to work, drawing the contours of his face, frustrated when I couldn't get his hair right. I eventually figured out it would be best if I did a fast upward stroke, which seemed to work quite well, and I had just started on adding shadows and shading when a voice broke my reverie. I looked up.

"Naminé!" It was a girl with vibrant red hair, waving at me frantically, and I paused my drawing when the realization dawned on me. It was Kairi. It was Kairi!

She stopped in front of me, catching her breath. "Kairi!" I cried, happy to see her.

"Hey, Nam!" She grinned, her bright blue eyes flashing. In retrospect, I guess that to other people, we looked very much alike, enough to pass as sisters even. I laughed at this, and reached forward to hug her on instinct. She laughed along and hugged me back, apologizing in my ear profusely.

"Sorry, woke up late, dragged my brother here…"

I pulled back and snapped my sketchbook shut, shoving it into my bag, and stood up. "Kai, it's okay, really. I wasn't very bothered, don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Positive." I smiled again. "Now let's get out of here?"

"Thought you'd never ask." She grinned again, took hold of both my luggage bags and rolled them toward the exit, motioning for me to follow. I laughed once, and moved to follow her. I can just tell I'm going to enjoy my stay.

_A/N: And there it is! The metaphorical bomb has been dropped. I got this idea out of random, but I'd just bore you if I told you all about it. Heehee. Forgive me if they're OOC (and if they are, you're welcome to include that in a review)! I hoped you enjoyed reading that first bit as much as I enjoyed writing it. XD_

_Thank you so much! Reviews are _much_ appreciated, but please, _please_, no flames. ._." Over and out!_

_-Hikari_


	2. I Want A Shake

**Summer Blues**

Chapter Two: I Want A Shake

We got to the car still talking, and I was very happy. Kairi didn't seem to mind the fact that I constantly groped for a topic; in fact, she led most of the conversation with witty comebacks and quirky replies. She was the most amiable person I'd ever had the fortune to meet, and I was glad.

"Looks like you're having plenty of fun, huh."

I jumped, turning to face the male who had spoken. A boy slightly older than us was leaning against the passenger door of a sleek-looking car, with a custom paint job of black flames licking its side [_A/N: I know, clich__é, much? Ugh, I've no car expertise at ALL. D: Bear with me, please._]. I looked at it (the car) a little apprehensively, before glancing back at the speaker.

He was spouting a mischievous type of grin, one of his hands casually stuffed inside his pocket, and the other playing absently with a lighter. His hair was just a little brighter than Kairi's, but even though his eyes were a playful green, I guessed this must be her brother, Axel.

"So this is your little friend, eh, Sis? Hm. My name's Axel. Got it memorized?" He straightened, grinned at me, and shoved the lighter into his pocket. "We good to go?" he asked, coming over to get my bags from Kairi. I bit my lip, wondering what to do as he put my luggage in the trunk.

Thankfully, I felt Kairi tug on my hand. "Nami, come on," she said. "Axel's all bark, he rarely bites." At that I laughed, and let myself be towed into the car beside Kairi. She resumed talking to me animatedly as we drove along, and from the window I could see the beautiful coastline beside the road.

"Will we go to the beach?" I asked.

"Of course we will, Nam," Kairi laughed. "It's tradition, but not right now. We need to get you home so we can drop your bags off. Then you're coming with me to meet my other friends." She paused thoughtfully. "Unless you're too tired, then I'd totally understand if you wanted to stay in bed the rest of the day."

I shook my head. "I slept during the whole flight. Don't worry. I'm game for anything." She grinned, then launched into a description of the friends I'd be meeting later.

"Well, there's Olette, and Hayner, and Pence, those three are inseparable, seriously, they're like stuck with glue; then there's Selphie and Tidus, those two are together, _together_, it's really sweet, honestly, but you'll see that when we get there; and of course there's Sora"—here I noticed that Kairi went a little pink, and I giggled—"plus Riku, and Sora's brother, but I'm not sure when _he's_ coming to Radiant, though Sora did say today. His name's Roxas. Then there's—"

"Wait," I said, cutting her off. "Did you say Sora—whoever he is—did you say his brother's name is _Roxas_?"

"Well, yeah, I did, why?"

I paused, wondering if I should share my little tidbit of information. _Maybe not now… There's really no point, since we're seeing each other again, anyway, right?_ Mother of all funny coincidences. "It's nothing," I brushed off. "And what's the deal between you and this Sora guy? You can't deny it, Kai." I laughed.

She was blushing again. "Shh!" she said, bemused, jabbing a finger toward the front, where Axel was driving with a pair of headphones covering his ears. He was bobbing his head to whatever music he was listening to, and I could hear the sound of it from this distance, so it seemed unlikely he could hear. I jerked my head and pointed at his headphones.

"Whatever," was all Kairi replied, but I could tell she was still a bit flustered. "Anyway, there's also Xion, my cousin, and I'm pretty sure Axel's gang is there too." She shrugged, then, seeing my confused (and probably slightly horrified) expression, continued. "Of course it's not _that_ kind of gang. Sure, they get into fights every now and then, but I'm pretty sure they're harmless. They're called the XIII. Axel's the eighth."

"If you put it that way…"

Kairi just laughed. We continued chatting until we reached a set of imposing white gates. They weren't exactly _big_, but they were…kind of intimidating? I don't how to explain that. Anyway, the gates were opened and we pulled up to the front door, and it was beautiful. Kairi's home was gorgeous! There was a garden surrounding the two-story house; exactly what you'd have imagined if you were living in the country.

I stepped out of the car, still looking around in awe, and had to be led into the actual structure.

"Stop gaping, Nami, and hurry up, I want to go meet up with the others!" Kairi told me excitedly. I chuckled, following her inside, while Axel grunted with the slight effort of carrying my bags.

Kairi led me to what I assumed was the dining room, where a middle-aged couple was sitting, munching on what I also assumed was breakfast.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," Kairi chirped coming over to kiss both of them on respective cheeks, before straightening and motioning to me. "This is Naminé, the friend I was telling you about? Nami, these are my parents."

I smiled and bowed slightly. "It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for having me."

The woman, who had dull red hair, smiled in a way that made her look homely. "Welcome, dear. Please, feel free to treat this as if it were your own home, and us as your family. It's a pleasure to have you here."

"Well, I'm sure Kairi found a good friend in you, Naminé. Enjoy your stay," Mr. Koichiru had a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes; he looked very pleasant.

I thanked them again before Kairi whisked me off upstairs to where my bedroom supposedly was. At the second door on the right side of the corridor, she stopped and turned the knob. And _wow_. This room was just as beautiful as the rest of the house! The walls were painted a minimal white, small flowers scattered here and there, the carpet was plush—off-white—the bed seemed soft and comfortable, and the closet looked promising. Best of all was the desk, and the easel beside it. Kairi knew my art tendencies, thank the heavens. But I only had several moments to let all that sink in, before Kairi took my carry-all, dropped it onto the bedside table, and pulled me back downstairs, laughing.

"Kai, slow down," I prodded. She stopped, thankfully. I brushed imaginary lint off my dress and turned to her. "Do I look okay?" I asked hesitantly.

My redheaded friend studied me thoughtfully. "I think you could do without the jacket, Nam. The rest is good as it is." I smiled and slipped it off; it had been cold in the plane, but I had no need for that here, now.

"Now we can go," I said, and laughed again when Kairi pulled me out of the house, explaining that we were going to walk to a local smoothie bar and joking on the way.

LINE BREAK

"Kai! Kairi!"

A brunette with gravity-defying spikes waved enthusiastically at my companion, reminiscent of how Kairi had waved to me at the airport. "I'm guessing this is Sora," I murmured, when I saw Kairi's instant winning smile, the enthusiastic kind that really made you smile too.

"Hey, Sora!" she called back, waving and confirming my guess. I chuckled as she pulled on my arm and practically dragged me over to where the brunette and several—no, make that a lot of—others were sitting.

I smiled at all of them weakly when we stopped. "Guys," Kairi said, "this is Naminé. Nam, these are my friends. You guys introduce yourselves on your own, I think it'd be more confusing if I pointed and stated." Everyone laughed. "I'm off to buy our shakes, what do you want, Nam?"

"Oh, I'll have a vanilla shake, if it's okay," I replied. Kairi nodded, then turned on her heel to head over to the counter, which was manned by some blonde guy with hair styled in a mullet. Hm. Sora motioned for me to sit on one of the chairs surrounding the table.

"I'm Sora, nice to meet you!" he said, the light in his blue eyes dancing.

"Riku," smirked the boy to his left, one with curious silvery hair.

"Selphie here!" said a brunette girl enthusiastically, who had the arm of a blond boy around her shoulders. "I'm Tidus," he said, waving lazily from his seat.

"Olette, Pence, and Hayner," said yet another brunette, motioning to first herself, then two other companions on either side of her, who were bickering over a pastry—I thought it was a lemon square.

I felt my smile widening with every introduction, already warming up to this group of teenagers, who seemed nice enough. "It's really a pleasure to meet you all," I told them sincerely. They all mumbled respective replies, just when a voice exclaimed, "Axel, you idiot!"

I whipped my head around and saw Kairi looking murderously at her brother, who had a sheepish expression on. "You almost burned my hair!" she complained, touching the ends of the strands delicately. "Be a _little_ more careful, will you?"

"Sorry, Sis." At least his tone was apologetic, though his grin was half-back. "I'll make it up to you—I'll treat you those shakes." He motioned to the drinks on the counter.

Kairi rolled her eyes, but I could see she wasn't really mad. "Just don't do that again," she grumbled, scoffing. She picked up the shakes, stuck her tongue out at Axel and came to join our table.

"You okay, Kai?" Sora asked almost immediately, beating me to the punch. Was something going on with them? They were quite obvious and adorable, I thought, laughing silently.

"I'm fine," she replied, waving it off, and handed me my shake before sipping her own.

Sora grinned at her and she grinned back. "Axel's dead meat if that happened again, isn't he?" he asked laughing. Kairi's grin widened into a devious smirk when she answered.

"More or less."

At that moment, Tidus interrupted. "Okay, enough with the murder schemes." Again, everyone laughed. "Who wants to play volleyball?"

Sora and Hayner rose to the challenge. "You're on!" the latter said, pumping the air with his fist. "Riku and Sora are on my team!"

"No fair!" Tidus exclaimed. "You got them last time!"

Hayner considered this a moment. "…Fine. You get Riku. But I get Kairi!"

Quickly, teams were formed, while I wondered where they would be playing. I shook off Kairi's pleading about me playing, reasoning out that I was a walking disaster just waiting to happen when it came to physical activity. In the end, though, I was shot down, and I was forced to join Hayner's team as well. Our group was a little small for a real six-on-six volleyball game, so we settled for four-on-four.

Kairi, Sora, Hayner, and I were in one team, and Tidus, Riku, an older kid named Wakka, and Kairi's cousin (who came late, therefore we had belated introductions, but she seemed nice), Xion on the other.

"Let the games begin!" Hayner shouted as he ran down to the beach, excited, the rest of us following him, me falling a step behind everyone else. I groaned inwardly. _Oh no…_

_A/N: Well. That was longer than I'd originally intended. :P But, here's to finishing the second chapter! Sorry for not giving any Roxas love, boohoo. I just wanted to get that out of my system; the second chapter, I mean. I think I'm probably going to work on the third chapter later tonight as well. Sorry, I'm really on a roll! XD It's been a while since I actually had fanfics posted here._

_Which reminds me. I was looking at my past two accounts this afternoon, and I swear, I died. I faaaiiil. -_-" I really hope my writing's improved. But, anyway, yeah. Random story._

_Please review (flames are a big no-no [oh, and many, many thanks to the ones who reviewed the first chapter! 3]), and be patient for the next part! I have school, so I'll be working on it sparsely, but bear with me. Thank you! :D_

_-Hikari_


	3. Lucky Steps

**Summer Blues**

Chapter Three: Lucky Steps

I stared up at Kairi and Selphie, who were setting up the net, shading my eyes in the process. I fisted my hands in my dress and looked down, seeing that I was wearing inappropriate clothing for a volleyball match. I smiled to myself, turning cheerful again. _They can't make me play in a skirt_, I thought, a bit smug.

"Nami? Why are you smiling?"

I turned to Kairi, barely containing the movement of my facial muscles. "I'm wearing a skirt." Try as I might, I couldn't help but let a little relief and joy seep into my voice. "I can't play."

My friend snorted, obviously disbelieving. "What are you talking about, Nam? I had Sora get some of your clothes earlier. That's why he ran off, remember?"

I blinked, remembering just a few minutes ago, when Sora indeed ran off after having listening to whatever Kairi had whispered into his ear. I groaned out loud at this sobering memory, realizing that this was quite unfortunate. Frowning, I sat down on the sand, tugging at my hair.

"Nami, you can't seriously be upset over the fact that you're going to play, can you? I mean, I don't think you're as bad as you make yourself seem," Kairi told me, setting herself down beside my sitting place.

"I'm worse," I responded flatly.

Kairi frowned, just as Sora came running up to us, holding my carry-all in his hands. His breathing was just the tiniest bit labored, and I huffed. Great. Another fit person in my life to laugh when I fail. I snatched my bag from him and stalked off to get changed.

Once inside one of the shower stalls located near the beach, I rummaged in my bag to see if I had any decent clothes. Sighing, I pulled out a plain white shirt and blue shorts, thinking _this will have to do…_ I took off my dress and pulled them on, stuffed my discarded clothing in the bag and got out of the stall, slipping off my sandals in the process. I wouldn't play with them on.

I plopped back down beside Kairi, who was watching the boys stretch.

"Sorry, Nam," she said as soon as I did. "You don't have to play if you don't want to." She sounded sincere, and with a pang, I realized that I'd made her feel guilty. Ugh. Way to go, Naminé.

I smiled at her, shrugging. "I'm supposed to be the one apologizing. I _did_ say I was game for anything, right? So, like I said, don't worry about it."

She grinned back when I said that and sprang up, freshly rejuvenated. She held out a hand to me, which I took, and pulled me up to stand. She started to stretch and told me, "Come on, Nami! You'd better do this too, or your muscles will get strained."

Nodding, I followed her lead, and we got to finish stretching by the time the guys called us up to take out positions. As I took mine, I noticed everyone else' grins, smirks and smiles; they were already starting to get into this game, and it hadn't even started yet! Well, considering they were basically really fit people (they lived near a beach, for crying out loud!), I felt really small in comparison. Sighing, I vowed to stay away from the ball as much as possible.

But Lady Luck just _loved_ to single me out.

First serve was Sora—he was pretty good, I might add—and the guy named Wakka spiked it back from the other side. I thought it was a good shot too, but the direction the ball was heading toward didn't make me raise my opinion at all. The ball was flying in my direction.

Sighing, I stepped forward to hit it with an underhand, when I stepped on something hard and cringed, letting the ball bounce harmlessly off my shoulder. Oh, well, kind of harmlessly.

"Nam, are you okay?" Kairi was the first at my side, with worry etched on her face.

I waved her off."I'm fine, fine, I just think I stepped on… something." I bent down to retrieve what I had stepped on, which was a curious shell, the shape of a teardrop, only with both edges sharpened.

Beside me, I heard Kairi take a sharp intake of breath. I turned to her with an eyebrow raised. "You found a thalassa shell, Nam! You must be lucky today!"

I could hear myself say the words, "Thalassa shell?"

"Oh, they're supposed to be really good luck—ward of danger and all that. I have a thalassa charm at home, but it's hard to find one on your own, especially a random chance like that. It's closely tied with the Paopu fruit, the native fruit in Destiny Islands," she told me, shrugging.

"Hey, are you done with your girl time? Because we still have a game!" Tidus called out.

"We'll be there in a sec!" Kairi replied, then turned to me again, and winked. "I'd keep that if I were you. I think you need it right now." I did my best to glare at her, but it came out as a meeting of my eyebrows—that's it. She laughed and pulled me back to the game, where I hoped the shell would actually bring me luck.

LINE BREAK

Miraculously, I managed to stay out of serious harm's way for most of the remaining game by backing out of the way when the ball was spinning in my direction. I stayed close to any of my teammates, hoping that they would save the ball for me whenever it sailed towards us, which they did, anyway.

Now the game was almost over, drawing it out to a match point, as both teams were tied with the same score. This last bit was had the deciding part, and everyone was tense. Even me, and I hadn't contributed to the game much; but especially Sora, who had made a bet with Riku that whoever won would treat the loser.

It was Xion's serve on the other side; it was a strong hit, and Hayner (who was beside me) had to sprint to the other side of the court to catch it before it fell on the sand. I caught a smirk aimed at me from Riku, who was the one who spiked it from across the net. _Towards me_.

I stared at the ball, horrified, as it seemed to come at me in slow motion, and realized that I should've seen this coming. They planned this all along. Ugh.

"Nami!" I heard Kairi say. I brought my hands up to try to shield my face before the inevitable moment when the ball would hit it. So much for no accidents this summer.

I felt the ball bounce off my arms this time, and—miraculously—went back up, leaving it airborne enough for someone to spike it back (which Kairi did) to the other side of the net. The other team was too surprised to counter-attack, and the ball hit the sand with a resounding _thunk!_, marking our victory.

There was a moment of silence before Sora whooped loudly and rushed off, probably to claim his prize from Riku.

"Go Naminé!" Olette, who sitting on the sand in the sidelines, called. I spun to smile at her, and then noticed the boy who was sitting right beside her. He lifted a lazy hand, and waved almost halfheartedly, smirking.

Hesitating slightly, I waved back, and his smirk widened just so.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted, seeming to finally notice his brother. "You're here!" The overenthusiastic brunette ran up to Roxas and hugged him hard, clearly showing that the brothers were quite close, as much as I could see.

The other patted Sora's head, chuckling. "I said I'd be here, didn't I, Sora?"

"Yeah, well… Took you long enough to get here," Sora replied, pulling back and smacking Roxas none too gently upside on the head. Roxas rubbed the side of his head, and rolled his eyes.

"Because _someone_ wasn't at the airport when I arrived, to pick me up," he replied.

I laughed at the light banter and the attention of the brothers—I guess they were twins, they looked so much alike—turned to me, and Sora jumped up, pulling Roxas with him. "Almost forgot," he said, grinning. "Roxas, this Naminé, Kairi's friend from… Where again, Kai?"

"Oblivion Castle," Kairi prompted, looking amused.

"Right. Oblivion. Anyway, Naminé, this is my brother Roxas."

Roxas scratched the back of his head, looking highly amused, his expression very much like Kairi's that it seemed comical. "We've met," he informed everyone.

"Where?" That was Kairi's question.

"At the airport. She couldn't get her bags from the overhead compartment." Roxas laughed like it was a fond memory, while I puffed my cheek out in indignation.

"I was getting around to it," I defended.

"You just keep telling yourself that," he replied, an easy grin on his face. Despite the teasing, I laughed. He wasn't very offending, really. I shrugged at myself and made a mental note to ask Kairi about him later. Right now, though, the sun was setting, and my stomach growled in protest. My last meal had been on the plane, and that wasn't very filling. I was just about to suggest dinner when Kairi beat me to the punch.

"How about dinner, guys?" she asked, catching my eye and laughing, indicating she had heard my stomach. I smiled back sheepishly, slightly embarrassed.

Fortunately, the others agreed with her thoughts—they must be hungry after the volleyball game, anyway—and we agreed to go and change before we went out for the last meal of the day. Kairi led me back to her house, which was already starting to feel like home, and made me change into something "more presentable".

The result was a dark blue tank top and white skinny jeans, plus my comfortable slip-ons. Kairi grinned at me when we met at the foyer, twirling to show off her own outfit—a hoodie, miniskirt, and flats.

"All set?" she asked. I nodded and smiled back at her as we left to meet up with the others.

_A/N: Okay, did you know I'd no idea what a foyer exactly was until I went to look it up in Wikipedia? Haha, share. I'm not very keen on this chapter—the original document was accidentally lost by my brother. =_=" Guh. So this was a remake, but the original was better. Still, I like how it turned out anyway._

_Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter; I think I'll be putting it up before the weekend ends. Oh, and, belatedly, sorry for having this chapter posted a week after, but I can only do weekends, boohoo. I still have school. :'( I hope you'll bear with me, though._

_Lastly, I just want to mention; I'm planning a SoKai fanfic as of now. I'm asking _Duchess of Daydreams'_ help, but so far, I'm working to find an idea to make it pretty original. Heh, share, again. Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who's faved, watched, and reviewed; I love you all so much for that! Wish me luck for the rest of this! 8D Over and out._

_-Hikari_


	4. New Things Learned

**Summer Blues**

Chapter Four: New Things Learned

Kairi led me to a small but cozy diner somewhere outside our particular district. It was, surprisingly, not much of a long walk, but that could probably be attributed to my friend talking nonstop on the way. Somewhere about halfway there, we were joined by Xion, who lived nearby, and Hayner, who jokingly pointed out that he was the only guy in our group.

"So, Hayner," Xion slyly began, just as the diner came into sight. "How're things with Olette?"

Judging by the immediate blush on the blonde's cheeks, I gathered that there must be something going on with them, too. We laughed at his reaction as he spluttered out, "N-nothing! What makes you think a-anything is happening?"

"Don't you like her?" Xion continued, raising an eyebrow, obviously amused.

"W-who likes who?" Hayner replied indignantly.

"You do." Xion could barely contain her ensuing giggles.

"He what?" It was a new voice this time, and I realized we'd arrived at the diner. The words _The 13__th__ Side_ glared down in white from the sign above the door. The others were all there, but I did a quick scan to see where Roxas was. There. He was talking to… Axel? What was Axel doing here?

"Hi, guys!" Sora bounded up to us, his usual grin in place. He was the one who had spoken. "This place is okay, right?"

I blinked, surprised at being asked. I didn't know this place in the first place. Thankfully, Kairi answered for me, saying, "Sora, she doesn't know anywhere here yet. But you don't mind, do you, Nam? This is the best place to get some chow."

I smiled, shaking my head, as I followed them through the glass doors, noticing a bell tinkling somewhere. "No," I told them, wondering what was available here.

"Oh, hey, you're back!" a cheerful voice piped up. I glanced at the speaker, noting layered blonde hair and blue eyes, and that the girl had a tan. She looked back at me curiously, her interest poorly masked. Not that she was trying to hide it, anyway. A corner of my mouth pulled up hesitantly in a smile. She grinned. "Hi! Are you new? I'm Rikku, I work here, and I'm usually these guys' waitress."

"I'm Naminé," I replied shyly. "I'm visiting Kairi."

"Cool! Hope to see you here often, we serve the best grub 'round here!" Her enthusiasm had me laughing; I giggled. She turned to my other companions. "The usual, all of you? What'll Naminé have?"

"I'll have whatever Kairi's having," I answered. The others mumbled their assent and they herded me off to a table big anough to fit all of us. For some insane reason, I was seated in the middle of Kairi and, well, Roxas. I think this was Kairi's fault. I noticed Axel heading a ways off, to a table with a blond girl, the blond boy I saw tending the smoothie bar a while ago, a pink-haired man, and a boy with dark hair falling over one eye. I wondered if they were part of the gang Kairi had mentioned Axel was part of.

Talk at the table was loud and lively, and I joined in once in a while, when asked. Mostly I just sat back and observed, noting points here and there; like how Kairi and Sora were always included in the same conversations; Olette blushing when she would accidentally have to face Hayner, who was beside here, during a lull in her conversation (which led me to think that she felt the same about him as he did with her); things like that.

When our food arrived, I ate slowly, still focused on other conversations that I ddin't even notice my food (much; at least I knew it was some kind of pasta), until a soft material came into contact with my chin.

"You should pay attention to your food, Naminé," Roxas told me, chuckling. I blinked as he pulled his hand back from my face. He was holding a napkin. I blushed then, realizing that I had gotten some sauce on my chin.

"Sorry," I said, embarassed. "Everyone else is just so… interesting."

"I know what you mean," he replied, grinning. "But you shouldn't neglect what you're doing."

Being told off by an attractive boy did not agree with my heart. I tried to steady my breathing, at least. "O-okay." I was blushing. _Get a grip, Namin_é_!_

"Hey, guys! I have an idea!" We all turned to Xion now, who was waving her fork around. She grinned. "Why don't we all go to the beach the day after the next?"

The others murmured in approval. "Good idea, Xi," Riku said. "But why not tomorrow?"

"Oh." Xion's face darkened just a bit. "Uh, I don't _all_ of us can make it tomorrow."

"Another run? Seriously, Xi." Kairi clucked her tongue.

"Not my fault," Xion replied defensively, shrugging. "Seifer called in another battle. He's such a bloodhound." In an attempt to lighten the mood, she added, "And a pervert."

Everyone in the table laughed, obviously used to this kind of thing. I was still wondering what she meant. "Who's Seifer?" I asked Kairi. She glanced at me, still chuckling.

"Oh, he's part of a group who's against the XIII. Actually, it's not even a group, there are just three of them. Seifer, Rai, and Fuu," she said, counting it off on three fingers. Then she giggled again. "Seifer's stupid enough to pick fights even if they have such a small number. It never escalates to anything major, but he's stubborn like that."

I was really curious about the XIII now. Hm…

"Don't let it get to you, Nam," Kairi continued offhandedly. "Both Xion and Roxas are part of that, and they don't get damaged. They're fine."

Wait. Roxas was part of the XIII? I turned to him curiously. He grinned at me, obviously having eavesdropped on the conversation. "We don't do anything bad, Naminé. Kairi's right, we're not the 'bad' type of gang." I opened my mouth to ask him a question, but then was distracted by Sora and Hayner's shouting.

"I bet I can beat you!"

"No, you can't!"

"Can too!"

"No way!"

Riku, who was between the two, was rolling his eyes. "Alright, break it up, children," he said pushing both away from each other. "Both of you can eat the pie fast. Now let's move on and actually eat dessert."

Everyone burst into laughter at this and I stared down at my dessert—which had been set down in front of me while I was distracted by Kairi and Roxas—to find that it was a curious, yellow, star-shaped fruit. I poked it with my fork, momentarily distracted, just making another mental note to prod Kairi more later. "…What is this?"

It was Selphie who answere leaning forward eagerly from her place across from me. "That's a paopu fruit, Naminé!" she told me excitedly. "Has Kairi ever told you about it?"

I tilted my head to the side. "Not yet, but she's mentioned it," I answered.

"Have you heard about its legendary power? They say that if you share a paopu with someone you really care for—"

"It binds you forever and ever through eternity!" Tidus continued in a high voice, teasing.

Selphie elbowed her boyfriend. "Shut up! That was my line!" She said it laughing, indicating she wasn't mad at him at all. Indeed, it seemed that everyone at the table was used to this particular speech of Selphie's. She turned back to me. "Isn't it romantic?" she sighed dreamily.

Part of me agreed with her, while another was skeptical of the actual legend. "I guess," I said, giggling.

"You don't have to listen to Selphie," Tidus told me. "Try it, though, it's good."

I speared a piece with my fork, lifting it to my mouth. I tasted sweet and tangy, and overall, very good. Mm… Light banter continued on throughout the table, leaving me to ponder about the paopu legend. Was it true? Who would I shar eit with, if I had the chance anway?

Before I knew it, it was time to head home. I said my goodbyes warmly, thourougly having enjoyed the evening out.

"We'll totally laze around tomorrow, Nam," Kairi told me on the way home. "We've got to bond a bit. Maybe you could come with me when I visit my grandma?"

I was a bit surprised about the surprise visit, but I told her, "Sure, why not?" After all, I had nothing to do.

"Great!"

I grinned when she did, anticipating a good day. Maybe I'd get to see Roxas sometime later… After his what I supposed was a mission. I smiled wider at the tought.

_A/N: Okay, I'm sorry about the rushed ending. :C We're kind of hurrying here now, since we're about to leave for the city (that's where I go to school). Heehee. Love, people, I'll explain a little bit more next chapter, since I don't have much time. I'll update next weekend, promise!_

_Review, please! Thanks to everyone who's reading!_

_-Hikari_

_P.S. I totally stole Selphie's actual lines from the game. XD_


	5. A Memorable Visit

**Summer Blues**

Chapter Five: A Memorable Visit

In my dream, it was all white. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, were a pure, ghostly white, that creeped out the real me, but fascinated the dream me. I was sitting on a white chair in front of white table, sketching on a blank page beneath my hands. The only sound to be heard was the scratching of crayons on paper.

Suddenly, there was a slight noise—in the complete silence of the room, it was even possible to hear a pin drop—and I looked behind me to find a hooded figure cloaked in all black, a stark contrast to the pristine walls. Real me was screaming that this figure might pose a danger to me, but dream me just looked on, completely relaxed. Trusting.

The hooded figure did not pull off his hood, instead walked slowly over to me to examine my work. He smiled at me after careful observation, and I could see the hint of brilliant blue eyes beneath the dark clothing.

"Naminé," he said, and real me was startled to hear a girl's voice. It sounded high and feminine… In fact, it sounded like… Kairi…

"Naminé!"

I was jolted awake by the pressure of someone jumping up and down on my bed. I groaned and covered my head with a pillow. "Five more minutes…" I begged.

"Can't, Nam," Kairi told me, dragging me by the arm to a sitting position. "You promised to spend time with me today," she continued happily, still bouncing slightly. "Come _on_, it's already nine in the morning." I guess Kairi was a morning person. Well, too bad. I was more of a late-afternoon-to-early-evening kind of girl.

I blinked, and rubbed my eyes sleepily. "It's not that late, Kai…" I grumbled, pouting.

"_Please_?" She did that annoying puppy-dog eye look that worked on me no matter who did it. How could she have known that? Man. I puffed my cheek and pushed her off the bed.

"Fine, I'm getting up," I said, mussing up my hair and standing. She jumped up from where she fell on the floor, apparently unfazed. Ah, the perks of morning people.

"Great!" she exclaimed, scrambling out the door. "Get showered and whatever, and I'll meet you at the dining table. We're visiting Grandma today, if it's okay."

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, heading to the bathroom. Inside, I splashed my face with cold water to wake myself further. I wondered about the dream. Who was that hooded figure? I came up with several possibilities, but only one seemed to actually jump out at me. I mean, there were only so many people with eyes that precise shade of blue. Right? I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and splashing more water on my face.

Whatever. I stripped off and stepped into the shower, concentrating on the steady rush of warm water. I turned off the tap when I was done, grabbed a powder blue towel that was on the rack (mine—I'd brought it and used it last night) and padded back to my room. I chose a long-sleeved white shirt with _Missing You_ in black Gothic letters in front, high-waisted black shorts (which wasn't very obvious since I didn't tuck my shirt in) and my faithful black Converse.

I went down to the dining room, where Kairi was already starting to eat, wearing denim cutoffs and a loose red shirt over a white tank. She gestured to the seat beside her for me to sit. "I was hungry," she explained after swallowing her bite. She grinned. "Help yourself."

There was array of food in front of me, and I chose the ones I was most familiar with—bacon and eggs with toast. As I piled them into a sandwhich, I asked Kairi about her grandmother.

"She's a really strong woman—lives on the other side of the district. She copes pretty well on her own. I like visiting her whenever I get the chance, and I thought maybe she would want to meet you," she said in response. I smiled, appreciative of the way Kairi obviously cared for her grandmother. I had no grandparents myself—the last one died years ago. At least Kairi had a grandparent and she obviously takes care of her pretty well.

We headed out right after breakfast, chatting along the way. We met no one else we knew, unfortunately; I guess most of them were late sleepers too. Kairi led me to a traditional house—more of a cottage, really, it was quite small—which even had a picket fence and rose bushes under the windowsills. There was a woman there with graying hair, which still had a sort of reddish tinge to it, who was tending to the flowerbed.

"Grandma!"

The old woman straightened and turned to us, a bright smile illuminating her features. "Kairi!" she exclaimed, standing up as fluidly as a woman her age could. It actually surprised me—her agility, I mean. I guess I knew now where Kairi got her energy. "Come here and let me have a look at you."

Kairi did so while I hung back as they embraced and exchanged pleasantries. Kairi turned to me in the midst of laughing at something her grandmother had said, and gestured me forward. "Gran, this is Naminé—she's the penpal I told you so much about?"

The old woman peered at me curiously, eyes squinting slightly. Then she drew back and chuckled. "My, you're quite the pretty girl, aren't you? But dreadfully thin… Hm. Come inside, girls, I'll whip something up for you." She grinned at me, quite like the way Kairi did, and hobbled inside her home. I was blushing from her comment when Kairi tugged on my arm and started to lead me inside.

"C'mon, Nam," she told me, laughing. "Gran does that to all my friends."

LINE BREAK

A plate of blueberry muffins later, I was talking easily to Kairi's grandmother, and she seemed to like me back. The woman was very grounded; she gave me sound advice and comforts I didn't know I missed from my own grandmother. However, when I told her my grandmother's name, she went still and gaped at me.

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Shimizu?" I asked, concerned. This was Kairi's mother's maiden name, and was therefore _her_ mother's surname.

"Can you repeat that? And her surname?" she asked me faintly. I repeated my grandmother's name, and she blinked and shook her head. She suddenly seemed several years younger when she smiled at me.

"You are the granddauter of Hitomi Motoko?" She stared out of her window. "I once knew a Hitomi, in my youth. We were inseperable. Back when I lived in the city—I'm sure it was Oblivion, as you said—I had a best friend named Hitomi. We did everything together, until the time I had to move away because I got married to Kairi's grandfather. I've lost contact with her since." She looked back at Kairi and me, blinking. "But her last name was Madoka. She had the biggest blue eyes I'd ever known anyone to have. A lot like yours, Naminé."

I tilted my head to the side, surprised. "My grandmother's maiden name was Madoka, if I remember," I told her. "That means—"

"You _are_ delightful, Naminé!" Kairi's grandmother told me, chuckling. "I've no doubt you're her granddaughter. Everything about you screams Hitomi." She wiped a stray tear, as if the memory both excited and pained her. "I'd heard she's gone now, though," she added quietly. "Would you like me to tell you more about you grandmother?"

I laughed and replied, "Yes!" I was eager to learn more, since I hadn't known her then, and will never get another chance.

Mrs. Shimizu sat back and sipped her tea before launching into an interesting story about her childhood.

LINE BREAK

It was sunset when we finally left Mrs. Shimizu's home, to insistent pressing for us to bring a batch of mufins and a container of lasagna home.

"I can't believe our grandmas knew each other!" Kairi exclaimed, as we headed off the road back to her house.

"I know," I agreed, smiling. "To think they had that much history!"

"I think us becoming penpals wasn't just coincidence," she told me, grinning back. I laughed, silently agreeing, when suddenly, we heard a sneering voice from the sidewalk. It was… irritating, actually.

"Hey, ladies, want a ride home?" The speaker was a young blonde, probably a year older than us, who was leering at us from the driver's seat of a sleek car, through the passenger's window. "I could give you one."

Kairi stepped back and pulled me with her. "Get lost, Seifer," she practically growled. "I'm calling Axel if you don't."

Seifer? This was the guy Xion and Kairi were talking about yesterday; the one who always picked fights with the XIII. He looked pretty street-looking, with a beanie pulled over his blonde hair, and a shirt with the sleeves artfully ripped, showing slightly muscular arms. Definitely gang material.

"Oh, c'mon, Kairi, don't be that way," he continued, leering. "Let's you and me have a chat with your little new friend here."

"Hell no," Kairi replied, rolling her eyes.

"But—" Seifer suddenly cut off as a pair of headlights came round the corner. He swore and called a "Later, then, Kai" and sped off, leaving a cloud of exhaust fume in his wake. I coughed waving my hand in front of my face to clear the air.

The car who had turned the corner stopped in front of us, too, and I recognized it as Axel's, with those telltale flames licking its sides. The passenger window rolled down, and I was surprised to meet eyes with none other than Roxas. I supposed Axel was driving.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, brow scrunching.

From the driver's side, I thought I heard Axel snort. Then he said, "You better be okay, Sis. We're having GTA with Seifer right now and we can't afford to lose." I translated that to _He better not have hurt you, Kairi, or I will kick his butt when I finish this_.

Kairi seemed to sense the same meaning and giggled. "Oh, go on, Ax," she told him. "We'll be fine."

"Thanks," I added, smiling for their benefit.

Both boys in the car chuckled, and Axel started to roll up the passenger side window. "See you tomorrow, Naminé!" Roxas called, before it completely closed. I wondered what he meant by that... They drove off, leaving another cloud of exhaust fume.

Kairi grinned at me when we'd cleared the air. "I think he likes you," she announced.

"Shut up, Kai," I mumbled, ducking my head to hide my red face. "What's up with tomorrow, anyway?"

"You forgot already? The beach, remember?"

Oh, right, the beach. Hm… Cool, then. Wait. The beach equals swimming. Swimming equals swimming outfits and such. So, then, the boys—no. Naminé, you cannot seriously be thinking of this. I gave myself a mental shake and looked up at Kairi again. "That's right, I completely forgot." I chuckled.

Kairi clucked her tongue. "Sheesh, Nam." She laughed. "Anyway, we should hurry home. It's dinnertime, anyway."

"Sure," I replied, following her back down the road, thoughts filled with tomorrow.

_A/N: Okaaay. That chapter was _way_ overdue. I'm so sorry, everyone! We went off to my cousin's house for a few days because it was my aunt's birthday. Of course, that's no excuse, but I hoped you like this chapter anyway!_

_Oh, and I'm really sorry, but I felt more comfortable using OCs as their family members, so forgive me if that annoyed you. Also, Seifer was pretty much a jerk. Can anyone please tell me how he really acts? 'Cause I can't be too sure._

_Finally, I gave several clues on the meanings of their grandmothers' names; I hope you saw that. If you didn't, go google it! Hee. I hope to update this by tomorrow or the day after. Wish me luck!_

_Reviews are loved and appreciated! I hope you aren't terribly bored with this. D: Next chapter's the beach! Love you all~_

_-Hikari_


	6. Oceans Away

**Summer Blues**

**Chapter Six: Oceans Away**

I woke up on my own today—it was a bright morning, the sun filtering through the window I hadn't know I'd left open last night. At first I didn't know why I woke up in such a good mood, but then I remembered... Today was Beach Day! Contrary to popular belief, even though—because my skin was so pale—most people thought I didn't go out much, I actually love being outdoors. Well, at the beach, at least. I loved the water and its calming effect on me, even during the strongest of waves. Being in it made me feel safe somewhat.

Chuckling to myself, I stretched and stood, then padded over to Kairi's room, intending to have my revenge, since I remember that she and Sora had still been on the phone even when I had fallen asleep. She must still be sleeping now. Her door clicked open quietly and I slipped in, taking note of her fairly messy room, with several clothes thrown about.

"Kairi?" I called tentatively. I was met with the sound of soft breathing and nothing more, reassuring me of her position. I approached the bed and jumped on it, grinning, and said loudly, "Wake up!"

Kairi immediately sat up, dislodging me from my position and making me teeter at the edge of the bed, but I managaed to regain my balance just in time. "What—where's the fire?" she cried, whipping her head from side to side wildly. I couldn't help it—I laughed.

"Kai, there's no fire," I told her in between bouts of giggles. "It's just me."

"That was no fair, Nami," she whined, but was already starting to get up. Wow, seriously, this girl had really good recovery skills. Well, morning person, duh. "I was having a really great dream about S—" She stopped, and flushed crimson.

I stopped laughing to stare at her curiously. "About what, Kai? Or is it a who?" I teased. "It was Sora, wasn't it?"

"N-no!" she replied defensively. "I was going to say... S-Starbucks!" She crossed her arms over her chest and was obviously fighting back another blush, which was no use at all, since her cheeks yet again colored. Oh, this was priceless!

"You just keep telling yourself that," I told her, quoting Roxas from the day before. I giggled as she glared at me and continued, "I'll let myself out. Go get ready, Kai, we're off to the beach today, right?"

"You seem awfully happy today, Nam," she noted, huffing as I got out. I just laughed as I headed for my room.

LINE BREAK

"Why are you so excited?" This was the third time Kairi had asked me this question for the last ten minutes, as we were eating breakfast. Mine were pancakes this time—yum! I speared a forkful in my mouth and chewed and swallowed before finally answering.

"I love the beach," I told her simply. "I've been wanting to go since I got here."

Kairi eyed me skeptically and sipped some of her OJ before asking again, a small smirk in her features, "This doesn't have anything with, well, Roxas... does it?" I blushed faintly when she said that, keeping my eyes trained determinedly on my plate so she wouldn't see my expression, or my coloring. Unfortunately, it _might_ be true; some of this excitement _could_ be contributed to the fact that I might be spending today with Roxas, but then again, I was spending it with the rest of Kairi's friends, and I was excited about that, too. I was eager to learn more about them, and I'm sure that's what I felt about Roxas too... Right?

"Nah," I replied, all too quickly. I finished my breakfast in a rush, blocking out Kairi's reply.

"You good to go?" I asked as I watched her swallow her last bite and drink the rest of her OJ.

She laughed at my eagerness. "Wow, yesterday I was asking those same questions, and now you've beaten me to the punch now. You must really be excited to got to the beach. Or see Roxas. Or both," she said slyly. I mentally slapped myself. God, she _was_ persistent. I nearly laughed aloud. "Fortunately," she went on, "I am; so we can haul our butts over there and get some sun time."

I laughed and we went to get our bags before heading out into the warm June morning.

LINE BREAK

When we got to the beach, several of the others were already there—namely "the lovers", as Kairi affectionately named them, Tidus and Selphie, who were chasing each other laughingly; Xion, who was setting up her spot at the beach by lating out a towel and planting a big beach umbrella; Riku, who was helping her; and Olette, who was chattering away on her cellphone. Hm.

"You're early," Xion commented as they approached. Kairi laughed.

"Look who's talking, Ms. Early-Bird," she joked, getting her towel out and laying it beside her cousin's. "Is it just you guys?"

The raven-haired girl shook her head. "Actually, Sora came rushing by, shouting something about getting some food. You know him." She laughed lightly. "Hayner is on the phone with Olette right now, after she talked to Pence, who said he was on his way, and Roxas—" She cut herself off as something beeped in her pocket. Frowning she pulled out her phoned flipped it open, and read her message. She smiled. "And Roxas just texted. He's nearly here."

"Well, isn't that just perfect?" Kairi said, plopping down on her towel and winking at me. She patted the available space beside her. "Set up here, Nam."

I shrugged, setting to work, but had a small smile on my face as I did so. I breathed in the fresh ocean air as I straightened from laying out my towel, and reveled in the sense of peace that followed.

"You seem to enjoy being here," someone commented.

I turned and met eyes with a blond-spiked boy, who was grinning in his easy way at me. "Good morning, Naminé," he greeted, eyebrow quirking.

I quickly replied and smiled. "Good morning." I sat down on my towel beside Kairi and looked at her. She was grinning in her… intrusive way. Ha ha, Kairi, very funny. Wipe that grin off your face. I rolled my eyes at her and turned back to Roxas, who had set his bag down beside me.

"Guys, guys! Anyone want waffles?" said a hyperactive voice from behind us. Sora, probably. I turned and realized I was right; Sora was indeed there, with a bag of fresh waffles in his hand. He plunked down on the sand in front of us, not even bothering with a towel as he opened his breakfast happily. Well, that explained his apparent connection with Kairi; I blinked. We all murmured "no, we've had breakfast" and watched him eat amusedly.

Before too long, we were complete and there wa a flurry of activity as almost everyone rushed for the water, slipping of their dresses or tops to reveal swimsuits underneath (for the girls), and just taking off their shirts (for the guys). I did my own part, slipping of my plain gray shirt to reveal a white tankini that matched my blue shorts. I rushed to the water, intending to jump in; which I did, with great pleasure. The water was cold, a relief in the warm weather, and I soaked in it, sinking myself into its depths.

When I came back up for air, Selphie was shouting.

"—to play?" was all I caught. Play? Play what, I thought, panicking. What is it with these people wanting to play beach games all the time?

"She asked if we wanted to play Chicken," Roxas murmured helpfully from beside me, chuckling. "You really have no choice, though, once it's Selphie's who's asking. She'll keep begging." I sighed at that, believeing him. I didn't like the game. It was too... intimate, especially since you had to sit on a guy's shoulders.

"Want to pair?" Roxas asked, drawing me back to the present again. Absentmindedly I nodded, as Selphie called out the rules—no one gets hurt, no one physically embarasses anyone else (meaning no tugs on clothing, blech, like I would anyway), no kicking or punching, just shoving; that kind of stuff. It was when I started to get up on Roxas' shoulders when it finally hit. I. Was. Going. To. Be. On. Roxas. Oh, joy. I shook it off, trying hard to concentrate on knocking my opponents under rather than the him being right there. Ugh.

At first it was pretty safe, just a few shoving playfully. However, I was still physically unfit, and so I was the second to topple down (the first was Olette, who was on Hayner, but that was purely out of luck—her back was turned), taking Roxas with me. We resurfaced, laughing. He pulled me to dry land and to the towels catching hold of ours and handing one to me. I tried not to stare at his, well, body. It was shaming to admit—even in my mind—that he had a really nice abdomen, with subtle muscles showing as he towel-dried his hair. He was lean, not buff, which I liked.

PAUSE. REWIND. Did I just say I liked it? Ugh, stupid hormones, I thought, shaking my head as I toweled myself off. Always get you when you least expect it. I plopped down on the sand, suddenly needing to sit. Roxas sat down beside me.

"Hey, Naminé," he began nonchalantly.

"Yeah?" I turned to him, tilting my head to the side.

He looked thoughtful, considering his words before he spoke. "There's this skateboardinging thing on Saturday. Are you free?"

My jaw almost dropped. Seriously? Was he asking me out? …Wow. "Uh, I think so. Why? And, uh… You skate?" I couldn't keep my voice from sounding kind of nervous.

He chuckled. "Yes, and I happen to love it," he told me, grinning in that easy way; it really was starting to become my favorite smile of his. "Will you come? Everyone else is busy, and I need some support 'cause I've been practicing for this." He looked kind of like a lost puppy, frowning cutely as he registered what he'd said.

I laughed. "So, basically… You want a cheerleader?"

"No!" he said. "I mean, yes, I guess?" He looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll come," I giggled, futilely trying to supress it. He was adorable when he lost some of his composure. He seemed to realize this, though, and gave a little cough. When he spoke again, it was with confidence.

"Great. I'll pick you up, say, after lunch? About two in the afternoon. The competition starts at three." At this I nodded, and he grinned again brilliantly before going back to the water, where Sora and Kairi had claimed victory over they game. I smiled at his retreating back. I had a date! And with a really cute guy, too…

_A/N: Well, there. D: I hoped that was okay. Was that too fast? I was thinking it was about time, since this was already the sixth chapter and all… Oh, and did you think that was rushed? Gah, I don't know. It's so hard. But, anyway, here's to getting to the sixth, finally! Did you know, I was just checking my mail and I found out that one of the stories I'd been watching was updated! Go check it out! _Hard To Get _by _idiotique_. Hee. Okay, so I'm promoting another fic, got a problem? XD_

_Thanks to everyone who's alerted! Gosh, ou guys are waaay awesome. Please leave some reviews, though, if you can, because, really, reviews are my drive, y'know?_

_On another note—you can skip this paragraph—I just found out something really amusing the other day. See, when I typed in my username here, Hikari Kotoba, I only knew what "hikari" meant, which was "light". I didn't know what "kotoba" meant, so, just for kicks, I looked it up the other day—and it means "words". Cool! Translated, my penname means "light words". Which is awesome! XDD K, share._

_Okay, so… I'm off to write another chapter. Hee. Oh, and you have time, read my other fanfic—it's a four-shot entitled _Seasons of Love_. Well, you can guess what that's about. Anyway, review, PM, alert, whatever! Let me know you care! I'd love some feedback. See you next chapter! ;D_

_-Hikari_


	7. Charms Of Our Own

**Summer Blues**

**Chapter Seven: Charms of Our Own**

The days before Saturday was pretty much a blur of girl time and hanging out at the smoothie place, because—even if I was unwilling to admit it to Kairi or Xion and Olette, who I had surprisingly grown close to—I was excited. Kairi kept laughing whenever I glanced at my calendar, which was embarassingly often, and my other two friends found out about my little crush the day they came over for no apparent reason, and were now teasing me relentlessy with Kairi.

She and I were finishing eating breakfast the morning after Beach Day, and I was asking her why we almost never saw her parents at home, when the doorbell rang.

Standing up, Kairi answered my question. "They're busy for the Star Festival; I think I've told you about that before? Or haven't I?" She tapped her chin. "C'mon, though, I think it's Xion at the door, she said she'd hang out with us today, seeing as she also said she has no runs for the XIII."

"But I thought Axel was out because of XIII business?" I pointed out, confused.

"I think it'd be best if you asked Xion that yourself. She has no qualms on talking about it, anyway," she told me, opening the door and letting a pleasant breeze blow in. Her cousin was standing outside, fist raised, as if about to ring the bell again. Upon seeing them, she grinned, dropping her hand. I noticed she was wearing a black hoodie, white shorts with small zipper details and Converse—but I couldn't tell what exactly what color because of the many markings and doodles that covered the surface.

"Ask me what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kairi laughed. "Come on in first, cuz," she said, returning the black-haired girl's grin. "Nami just wants to ask you something."

Xion stepped in, and started for the kitchen. "Sure, but before that... You got any food? Breakfast would be really good right now; I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

"Lemme guess. Another run?" When Xion nodded, Kai laughed and caught up to her. "You're lucky. We just finished eating, so there's still a bit left. You can tell us all about last night over your breakfast. Is that okay, Nam?" They both turned to me and I shrugged, chuckling. Besides, I thought I could hear something about Roxas during the story, so I followed them to the dining table willingly enough.

LINE BREAK

I turned out that Xion was kind of an honorary memeber of the gang at the moment. When I asked, she told that Vexen had caught her fighting with a group of island boys who were giving her a pretty hard time, but she was holding her own. He was impressed so he took her over to the "Superior" or something and told him all about her little encounter. Likewise the boss was impressed, so recruited her as a kind of trainee. So she didn't necessarily have to go on runs with them all the time.

In the middle of our conversation, Kairi's pink cellphone rang. She answered the call, and held up a finger signalling for us to give her a minute as she exited the kitchen.

"So... Naminé," Xion began conversationally. I almost jumped out of my skin when she said my name, because I'd expected some kind of awkward silence to occur once Kairi wasn't with us. Guess her cousin was as much a conversationalist as she was.

"Mm?" I mumbled unintelligably. She laughed.

"All excited for the big date on Saturday?" she inuired with a knowing smile. I was surprised and wondering how she knew that I almost sisn't catch the next words. "I know Roxas is."

"W-what?" I stammered. "How do you know that?" I probably sounded pretty rude, but there really was no other way to voice that question.

"Well... He only talks about it five times every time we hang out, so it's not like I _notice_," she joked. "I only really told him to shut up about a hundred times before he actually had the sense to slow down talking about how _nice_ you were and everything; it even took a few Axel threats to actually get him to stop."

I blinked, seriosuly doubting what I just heard. In a way, it was adorable, but seriously? Roxas? ...Hm. Xion probably saw my incredulous expression because she laughed. "Believe it or not," she told me.

Before I could respond—or even pull organized thoughts from the jumble that was my thoughts running amok, Kairi sailed back into the kitchen.

"That was Olette," she informed us happily. "She said to meet her over at the Usual Spot because she's bored and she knows we're all here and she's over there and she wants company. She said we could do whatever we wanted."

At this, Xion pouted, seeming to recognize Kairi's blissful and plan-filled expression. "No fair! We shopped last time! Can't we do what I want for a change?" But she didn't really say it with a seriously upset expression. I laughed. They both turned to me, and Xion put a hand under her chin, looking thoughtful. "Or we could do what _you_ want, Naminé," she said. "What would you want to do?"

I raised my hands in a don't-look-at-me gesture and shook my head. "I'm fine with whatever!" I protested. "You guys pick."

Kairi laughed, shaking her head helplessly. She started for the front door, motioning for us to follow. "We'll decide when we get there, okay? Let's just go meet up with 'Lette."

LINE BREAK

"Kairi! Xion! Hey, Naminé!" Olette greeted us enthusiastically, shooting up from her relaxed, but obviously bored position on the couch of the cozy room-place-whatever. We all murmured respective 'hello's' and 'hey's', before Kairi and Xion sat down on the couch beside Olette and the table, respectively, which left me standing there awkwardly. I fiddled with the hem of my denim shirt-dress, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, don't be a stranger," the brunette who had reclaimed her place on the couch told me. "You can sit anywhere you like."

"Thanks," I replied gratefully, sinking down onto the granite floor. Above me, Kairi and Olette seemed to be conferring in whispers, and Xion had nodded at them everytime they looked at her with a question in their eyes. I wonder why...

"Nami," Kairi called, stopping my train of thought in its tracks. "We have something for you."

I tilted my head, curious, as Olette tossed me something that glinted and it landed on my lap. I picked it up, holding it up to examine it more closely. It was an intricately woven bracelet, colored white, with a few silver charms dangling off of it. I raised my eyebrows, looking back up at them. "Is this... for me?"

"Yeah," Olette replied, smiling. "I made it yesterday. It's kind of like a friendship bracelet, see? I-I mean—" she stammered, "—I can totally understand if you don't like it or want it, I just wanted you to have some kind of keepsake to remind you that we—meaning me, Xion, and, of course, Kai—are your friends, you know?"

I was speechless for several measly seconds. When I found my voice and started talking, it still sounded kind of choked up. "I-I love it!" I exclaimed. "Wow. Thank you! I mean—seriously, I'm really happy that you consider me your friend and..." Okay, Naminé. Blabbering now. Shut up.

Xion waved it off, grinning. "Don't mention it, Nami—I can call you that, right?" I nodded at this, and she continued. "Look," she said, holding up her hand, where a similar bracelet dangled of her wrist. "We all match." Kairi and Olette, wearing their own grins, held up their own wrists, where similar accesories dangled off of. Blue for Xion, pink for Kairi, and orange for Olette. I wonder why I never noticed that before, but I was too thrilled to dwell on it. I grinned back, pretty sure that this was one of those days that I would always remember, as I clasped my own bracelet on.

"Thank you," I told them, again.

Kairi smiled at me happily, and I could finally understand her excitement from earlier. "Like Xion said—don't mention it. Now, what do we do?"

"Oh, that's easy," Xion told us. "We'll go off and show Nami the rest of the island! I mean, we should show her the view of the other islands, especially since _Sora_"—here she aimed a smug smirk in Kairi's direction and the latter, of course, blushed—"is taking us there next week. Right?"

"Right." Olette answered for Kairi, looking amused; the redhead seemed to have swallowed her words for a moment.

"Just shut up, guys!" she exclaimed when it looked like she had regained her voice and words, looking mortified, but not really mad. "Sora doesn't like me in _that_ way, thank you very much!"

"Oh, I beg to differ!" Xion crowed. "Remember when we were at the _Side_, and he seemed to talk to you so much than he talked to Riku or anyone else!"

"Aha!" Kairi looked triumphant. "Why mention _just_ Riku specifically as a person Sora was talking to? You like him about as much as I like Sora, or how much 'Lette likes Hayner, and that's saying something. Admit it! At _least_," she added, when the black-haired girl opened her mouth to say something—probably call it out as a fib, "I don't deny it!"

"And how did _I_ get dragged into this?" Olette said indignantly, her cheeks flaming.

I couldn't help it—I finally laughed. It was so funny, their light banter concerning boys. They all stared at me like I was crazy, but after a couple more seconds, Kairi cracked up and the others started laughing too. We sat there, all four of us, laughing hysterically, holding our stomachs and trying to gasp for air. We made quite a picture, I admit, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed that whole day, which was spent with my newfound friends, doing random things and finally getting around to showing me around another part of the main island. Before I knew it, the day had ended, and we were heading back to the Usual Spot.

"Thanks for the really... interesting day, guys," I told them sincerely, my arms still linked with Kairi and Olette. We were joking and laughing as we went our way, nearing our destination.

"We had fun, too," Olette told me, grinning. "We should do that again some time."

"We totally should," Kairi interjected, mirroring the grin.

"Have to head home," Xion said, laughing. "But let's meet up again, okay? Good luck with Saturday, Nam!" she called, waving, as she headed off in another direction. I blushed, shouting a goodbye at her retreating back.

Kairi shrugged. "We probably should, too, Nam. Gotta go, 'Lette. Thanks for the awesome day!"

"Anytime." Olette broke off from us, and headed off too, on her own, waving. "Oh, and Nam," she added before she was out of earshot. "Xion's right—Saturday's going to be fun! Good luck with Roxas!" Well, there, they knew I liked him, which would've been pretty embarassing, but for some reason I felt a little more at ease. That didn't stop the furious blush that spread across my cheeks indignantly. I waved goodbye to Olette and turned back to Kairi.

"Let's go home," she told me, grin still in place. I followed her back to her house, still feeling happy all the way.

_A/N: So, what do you think? I kind of lost touch for a couple of weeks, sorry! See, I couldn't think of exaactly how to interpret this chapter, so it took a while, pluuus; I was finishing a promised requested fanfic. So, boohoo, I only got to finish now. I'm pretty happy about this one, though, and those bracelets that the girls have—I know how to make those. I have a black one, but its complement is red, so it's not like Xion's. :D But I got the idea from there._

_Anyway, thanks for all the continued support! I didn't think I'd be able to go this far without giving up prematurely. So a big thank you to all my reviewers so far: _Agent S7_, _Misfortune XIII_, _NightFalcon26_,_ mameido13_, _kcbq30_, _iVanillelay_,_ .06_, _IcyDeathSky_, and _Ari's Grace_. Thank you! I wouldn't have tried to continue this if it weren't for you!_

_Okay, enough, hee. Review, PM, alert, favorite, pleeeaaase? :3 Thanks, over and out!_

_-Hikari_

_P.S. Chapter's background music was "Gift of a Friend" by Demi Lovato._


	8. Just Don't Mix With Wheels

**Summer Blues**

**Chapter Eight: Just Don't Mix With Wheels**

Saturday dawned brigt and early, seemingly the perfect summer day anyone could want. It was peaceful, but I woke up when the sun was glaring on my closed lids. I grunted, before turning and burying myself into the still-cool pillow. I got a few more minutes of much-needed rest before a loud thud rose me from my dreams, meaning the door had just opened.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Kairi sang.

_Ugh, morning persons,_ I grumbled to myself. Out loud I said, "Kairi. Seriously. You've got to stop doing that."

"You'll thank me later," she told me, and I could hear a grin in her voice. "I just thought that since today was the day you've been bouncing all week for, you'd want to be woken up early."

"Why would I want to be woken up early any day?" I groaned, before her statement sank in. Saturday. Today was Saturday! Before Kairi could say another word, I sat up so quickly, my hair fell all over my face. I blew it out of my eyes as my redheaded friend laughed in complete amusement. I rolled my eyes and threw aside the coverlet on the bed, stretching my legs over the side of the bed experimentally. I glanced up at her with a question.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, standing up and heading for the door.

"Sausages and hash brown," Kairi replied, following after me closely.

"Yum," I said, and headed for the kitchen.

LINE BREAK

After breakfast, I headed up again to take a shower and do something to pass the time before my and Roxas' "date". Kairi, being the supportive friend that she is (or so she says) followed me up and flopped down on my bed as went inside the bathroom to wash. When I came back out, she was still in the room, bu she'd moved from the bed to rummaging in my closet, her cheek puffed out in concentration.

"Why are you going through my clothes?" I asked, as I stood beside her and pulled out an oversized, hand-painted shirt and denim short shorts, which were usually my "work clothes", meaning what I used when I wanted to be comfortable during drawing or painting.

Kairi turned to me and clucked her tongue. "I'm looking to see what you're going to wear later, since you can't honestly be thinking of wearing that"—she motioned to my current outfit—"to your date." She frowned at my shirt like it was something non-desirable and should never be worn by a girl.

"Hey!" I said indiganantly. "I happen to like this shirt. So what if I said I was?"

She pinched the bridge off her nose, looking to the ceiling as if asking for divine assistance. With one hand she swiped several hangers off the closet, and, unfortunately, I noticed all of them were dresses. I mean, I had nothing aginst dresses; hell, I'd even owrn one when I got here, but seriously? I think the word I'm looking for here is… awkward. Or something. Kairi offered her choices with a determined expression on her face, and I couldn't help but be a little apprehensive.

"Back to the bathroom. Now," she commanded, following me in when I obeyed her, puling brushes and whatever makeover stuff from the dresser as she went. _Oh no…_

LINE BREAK

Four and a half hours later, I was seated at the kitchen counter, munching on an apple, because it was past lunch. Kairi had worked her "magic" on me for all of almost three hours, and I was now wearing a yellow bubble dress that was a bit too short for my liking, so there were also white knee-length leggings underneath. I was almost beat enough to debate on actually asking Kairi to call Roxas and say I was bailing because of pure exhaustion, since I'd no idea what his number was. I almost asked her what it was too, but decided against it, thinking it would be creepy if I texted him out of the blue and explained how I'd gotten hold of his number.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter to one, about fifteen minutes till Roxas told me he'd pick me up. Embarassingly, I had checked the wall clock about thrice in the past ten minutes, and I think it was finally getting to Kairi, who was sitting across from me, typing away on her phone. When I began to drum my fingers insistently on the tabletop, she finally spoke.

"Nam, if you're so excited, you should just go wait in the foyer or the living room or something," she told me, glancing up from her steady texting.

I immediately turned red and reached over to hit her shoulder. "Kairi!" I exclaimed, amid her laughter.

"Kidding!" she said, still chortling.

I opened my mouth to retort something when the doorbell rang. I glanced at her knowing smile before jumping off the counter footstool and walking as calmly as I could to the front door. When I opened it, I was greeted my Roxas' bright blue eyes, and shy smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. He had a skateboard tucked under his arm, and kneepads, elbow guards, and all the protective gear except a helmet on him.

"Hi, Naminé," he said, smiling, just the lightest blush dusting his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I know I'm early, but I wanted to, you know… get a head start on the competition."

I thought he looked really cute, and I couldn't help my answering smile from spreading, or the blush that matched his own. "It's okay, Roxas," I told him.

"Roxas!" Kairi exclaimed, sliding past me to sling an arm over the poor boy's shoulders. He laughed. The redhead cracked a smile. "Now, you," she said. "Take care of Nami well for me, you hear? I mean, you'd better, I have Axel as my brother."

Roxas pushed her off, still laughing. "Whatever, Kai." He turned to me, still grinning. "Ready?"

"Sure," I replied, stepping outside as Kairi moved back to slink back inseide the house. I swear I could almost feel the planning vibes from as she closed the door with a "Have fun!" I shook my head and smiled, before facing Roxas and asking, "Where to?"

It really surprised me when he took my hand to give it a small tug as he stepped forward, before letting go and motioning for me to follow him. I did, thinking, _his hand was so warm…_ I blushed from my thoughts, and tried to clear my head and concentrate on our destination.

LINE BREAK

Roxas led me to the bleachers and said, "I'll be back when I've done my turn, and we'll watch together till the winners are announced, okay? Make sure I hear you cheer for me later, alright?" He ran a hand through his hair when he told me that, and I laughed and replied a "for sure" before letting him off to practice.

The competition rolled around almost an hour later, and by then, I'd exhausted several pages in my sketchpad, and was admiring my finished sketch of a certain blond, blue-eyed boy—the drawing I'd started at the airport but never finished. I was actually quite proud of that one, since it reminded me so much of its real counterpart and I smiled to myself as someone announced the start of the skateboarding competition. I tucked the pad in the messenger bag I'd brought, and looked up to watch the show.

The first few boys were my age or just a bit younger, and I watched curiously and with an artist's eye how they did their flips and spins and how their form was during a particular stunt. In this way, I was able to predict (with just a bit of luck) if they had the wrong angle of bent knees and such, and most of the time, I was right. I clapped to the ones I thought were pretty good—I mean, I didn't know enough about skateboarding to actually know. Finally, Roxas skated front and center, and began his thing, and really, I could see he was _good_. I gasped as he excecuted a particularly difficult-looking flip, holding his form airborne before landing on the ground solidly. I cheered loudly when he finished, along with the other spectators, thoroughly impressed.

He came over to sit beside me a few minutes later, still a bit out of breath, in a different shirt, and his gear off, but with skateboard still with him. "I didn't hear you at all," he accused, teasing.

I put my hands up in a defensive manner. "Hey, not my fault you were so concentrated," I told him, giggling. "But you were really good!"

"Thanks," he said warmly, with a smile that did funny things to my stomach, and causing my cheeks to flush. "Look at you! You're blushing!"

"Am not!" I pouted, much like a child, which made him laugh. After a while, I joined in shortly before we both concentrated on the rest of the competition. There were only a few more skaters lined up after Roxas and after the last one, there was a converging of the judges to discuss who'd won. I noticed Roxas biting his lip while watching them, and I laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Roxas," I assured him. "You're going to win. I know it." Truthfully, I believed my own words because I saw no one else who was actually better than Roxas; but then again, I wasn't the skateboarding expert.

"Thanks, Naminé," he said, breathing a sigh. "Let's hope you're right."

It was a few more minutes before a judge, an athletic-looking man, who I suppose was the head, stood up and motioned for everyone to listen.

"It was a difficult choice," he told the crowd, cracking a small smile. "I speak in behalf of the others when I say that we truly appreciate all of you being her today. With much debate and deliberation, though, we have found our winner. Witout further ado… we give the honor to Roxas Hiroto!"

There was a defeaning roar as Roxas was pulled up to the judges' podium to receive his award. I laughed and clapped along, encouraging him to move forward. It seemed like some kind of surreal experience to him, judging by the slightly dazed expression that was on his face when he raised the medal amid cries of congratulations. As he bounded off the steps, he kept being intercepted by groups of people to congratulate him, and by the time he got to me, he was, again, out of breath. I laughed.

"Congratulations!" I said happily. "I told you you'd win!"

"You did," he said, grinning. "Thanks, Naminé." He tucked my hair behind my ear, looking thoughtful. As he brushed my cheek with the back of his hand, I felt them starting to heat up, signalling a blush. This seemed to bring him back to normal again, and he resumed grinning, as he took my hand. "C'mon, let's celebrate. I have your good luck to thank for this."

"Okay," I answered, still working on my furious blush.

_A/N: Rushed. That's one way to describe this chapter. XP So sorry! I wanted to finish this before I have to go on a temporary hiatus for about a month. Sorry to all watchers! But please, please, leave me reviews so that when I come back, I know that I can still continue this and I haven't bored all of you out. 8D_

_Anyway, thanks for everything! See you when I can; I _might_ be able to squeeze another chapter during my supposed hiatus, if the Fates consent me to be lucky. XDD Leave some love: PM, review, alert, or whatever! Thanks for reading~_

_-Hikari_

_P.S. Chapter background: "Nice Piece of Art" by FM Static. Yeah, I know, I'm a sucker for pop. XD_


	9. All The Right Words

**Summer Blues**

**Chapter Nine: All the Right Words**

"So," I asked, curious, "where are we headed?"

"Hm." Roxas stuffed his free hand—the one without his board tucked under—in his pocket, looking thoughtful. "I don't know about that. I thought we should go to the _Side_, but we've already been there before and I want to show you something new this time. I doubt you've been getting around that much with Kairi as your only guide, after all. I'm surprised she hasn't forced you to go shopping nonstop or something," he told me with a cheeky grin.

"Hey!" I answered indignantly. "Kairi's been really nice. You're harsh." I paused, reddening when I realized how childish that sounded.

He, however, just laughed. "Maybe, but it's the truth," he pointed out. I figured he must be _partly_ right, considering it was the redhead who had planned exactly what I was wearing right at that moment. "Anyway, where do you want to eat?"

"I-I don't know," I replied truthfully, stuttering just a bit. "The local places, I guess?"

Roxas huffed, running a hand through his spikes in what I assumed was a gesture of thought. "I'll take you to Cid's place, then, since I don't know where else you could enjoy. He's a nice guy, anyway, Sora's really good friends with him."

"Really?" I asked, my interest piqued. "It seems like everyone knows everyone here," I observed thoughtfully. "Why is that? Have you all known each other from birth or something?" Maybe that was the case, too, with everyone else, because it really seemed as if everyone knew each other.

"I didn't grow up here, much," Roxas said, looking in another direction. "I was... away."

I realized we had touched up on a sensitive subject, so I decided to just shut up. We walked in silence to wherever he'd been planning to take me to, both in contemplation. However, when we got there, there was no time for silence, because a middle-aged man chewing (I think) on a toothpick, greeted us with a coarse, but warm voice. "Hey, kid," he said to Roxas. "Where's your brother?"

"Hey, Cid," Roxas replied, raising an arm in greeting. "Sora's at home, planning how to ask Kairi to the Star Festival, if I know him. It's just me this time. Oh, and Naminé." He gestured to me, and Cid's attention flitted over to my direction. "Naminé, this is Cid Highwind, a really good family friend. Cid, this is Naminé Hayase, a friend of Kairi's who's visiting for the summer."

Cid looked at me with an observant eye, looking gruffly curious. "A girl this time, eh? Hope you know what you're getting into, kid," he told me, a grin on his face. "Roxas is quite the handful." I wondered what he meant by that as soon as he said, but of course I had no time to dwell on it, because he led me and Roxas inside the small café that he was standing at the entrance of (I only noticed it then) and to a table near the window.

"Lemme guess—double espresso for you, kid, and something sweet for the girl?"

Roxas looked at me apologetically. "He does this all the time with our drinks—it's like he can read our moods or something," he told me.

"Wow," I replied, surprised. "I really was about to order something vanilla..." Was it obvious I loved that flavor?

Cid winked at me, and continued, "So, a vanilla frapuccino, how 'bout that? And for your meals?"

"The daily special?" Roxas gave me a questioning glance. When I nodded, he turned back to Cid and repeated the order. The man nodded with arms crossed, and walked off to a small window bahind the counter. A face popped out, a girl with short black hair and some kind of headband on her head, grinning. She took Cid's orders quickly and popped back in. I sighed, fiddling with the bracelet the girls had given me.

"What's that?"

I looked up, and saw Roxas motioning to the bracelet, looking curious. I jingled my wrist, amused at the small tinkling sound the accesory made, before answering him. "Olette, Kairi and Xion gave it to me the other day. 'Lette said she made it on her own." I smiled fondly at the sweet gesture, enjoying the memory. Definitely not something I'd be able to forget, ever. Especially since they'd welcomed me with open arms and zero questions since then.

"Hm," he smirked, placing his chin in one hand. "Nicknames already?"

I blushed at my casual reference to Olette and tried to play defensive. "She was fine with it. Besides they call me Nam or Nami now."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? It sounds reasonable..." He paused. "So... Can _I_ call you Nam or Nami? We're friends, aren't we?" I was surprised at this, and at first instinct wanted to tell him that I wasn't sure if we were. In fact, I'd had my mouth opened to say so when Cid suddenly reappeared beside us bearing a tray of something that looked good. Some kind of meat with rice and a strange-looking sauce that smelled amazing.

"Enjoy it," was all the man said before trailing off to the kitchen again. I leaned forward, enjoying the heavenyl scent as I picked up my fork to spear a piece of meat.

"So?" I almost gagged on my meal when Roxas spoke again. Looking up, I realized he was mulling over his food with a small smile. I'd be lying if I said that his smile didn't do funny things to my stomach. Again.

I swallowed before replying. "So, what?"

He laughed. "Can I call you Nam? Or Nami?"

Again, I almost choked, this time on the vanilla frap. God, why did he have to surprise my like that? "I-I suppose," I stuttered, oddly formal. "I'm fine with it." I wondered how he would reply, because honestly, I could never predict what he would say, and it was fun seeing his reactions.

His smirk back in place, Roxas waved his for before looking down in amusement and finally starting on his dinner. "That's great," he told me, looking up again. "Nam."

I blush. Of course.

LINE BREAK

"That was a great dinner, Roxas," I told him, smiling as we exited the small café, him waving to Cid as we did. "I had fun."

"I should thank _you_ for the luck you brought me today. I don't think I would've won otherwise. You're an awesome cheerleader." He grinned happily, setting his skateboard down and stepping onto it, doing a slow glide. I admired the fact that he kept his balance. I could never do that, given the chance.

I shook my head, ready to retort. "Nah, I think you would've won without me anyway," I scoffed. "You're really good, but you don't seem to believe it yourself."

He laughed, flipping his skateboard underneath him without looking. I eyed the instrument speculatively. "Do you want me to teach you?" his amused voice startled me from my thoughts.

My eyes widened as his suggestions sunk in. I held my hands up, horrified. "No, no! I was just wondering how you keep your balance without looking, that's all. I don't want you to teach me; I'm physically challenged as it is, I don't want you to be bothered."

Again, he chuckled. "I wouldn't be bothered, Nami," he said, stepping nimbly off the board and taking hold of my still-raised hands. "Come on, I'll show you the basics."

Panic rising, I couldn't speak, just let him guide me to his board, which looked more and more menacing by the minute. He helped me onto it, and I prayed he couldn't tell that my knees were knocking together from shaking so much. Yes, it's sad that I'm so afraid of physical activity that this happens. Roxas began to lead me by the hand along on his board, telling me to keep my feet firmly in place and not to let go of him. As if I would. He told me to keep my arms out in order to maintain my balance and as I did so, he just _let go_, pushing me ever so slightly. To my surprise, I didn't fall, and the wheels just kept turning until he was, again, at my side, balancing me. I jumped off, grateful.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" he said, grinning.

I managed to give him a shaky smile, before replying, "No... But I don't think skateboarding is really my thing." We both laughed, and he led me round the corner, where I was surprised that we had arrived at Kairi's house.

"We're here," he announced unnecesarily, turning to me.

I smiled. "Thanks again for the night." I paused, debating. "For taking me to your competition and dinner, and the lesson, and everything."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I enjoyed it, too," he confessed, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Adorable.

We stood awkwardly as I glanced at the open porch light, and thought of Kairi waiting for me. She'd definitely be doing that. "Well... I better get inside now."

"You do that," he said, chuckling.

"Good night, Roxas..." I turned, turning the doorknob. "Maybe you can show me around more next time?"

I'd glanced back at him, and saw his eyes light up at the prospect of us going out again. "Sure," he answered, grinning. "See you around, Nam." I smiled at him one last time before stepping into the foyer and closing the door, happy.

_A/N: Yep. A totally cheesy and completely cliché ending. Mm-hm. Of course. :P_

_Anyway, I'm so, so, so sorry for the long wait! For everyone who put this in their story alerts, I apologize. I have no excuse for my behavior. My inspiration has been shot. But now I'm back at full-force, buuut you can expect that I won't be updating as quickly as I had before, because I must finish my school year, which is ending in a few weeks. Then, it's summer vacation, and I'll probably finish this by the time that ends! Thanks for reading!_

_Remember, no flames, please, or anyting of the sort. I'm sorry if this is so short. If there are any errors, please tell me immediately! Reviews are love. :D Thanks so much!_

_-Hikari_


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